Re: Fantastic Ada promotional piece from Rational (long)

[mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman)]

In article <JGOODSEN.94Sep16155040@trinidad.jpmorgan.com>,
John Goodsen <jgoodsen@trinidad.jpmorgan.com> wrote:

>   Hmmm. Are you _really_ saying that it is poor business practice to
>   actually believe that your product is good for something? 
>
>I think you chose to miss my point here.  I'm hardly saying that vendors are in err
>if they believe in their product, but there is more than just believing
>in the product that business decisions are made upon.  In particular,
>market research that shows an estimated return on investment are typically
>required before a company pumps money into building a market.

I'll ignore your gratuitous slam "chose to miss my point".

So are you saying that market research in the 80's showed no market
potential for Ada outside the government?

>If a business decides choose a particular path because there is more
>money in that path (e.g. C++ instead of Ada), you can't go ramrod that company
>as acting irresponsible and hack at them for not pumping more and more
>money into a market that is relatively shrinking when compared to other
>markets.  

You are confusing me with someone else. I never ramrodded companies for
diversifying into C++, only for hiding the fact that they also had Ada
products. I really don't cotton to being so badly misquoted.

>In particular, I would say that the company is acting responsibly
>on the behalf of those who have invested in the company.

>   I daresay even the government is not immune. Do you think that every
>   DoD decision to purchase something was not influenced in some way by
>   its contractors? C'mon. You don't really believe that.

>Or influenced in some way *NOT* to purchase something, in the case of Ada
>compilers  :-)

This one's too subtle for me. Can you explain?

>   Gimme a break, John. American commerce is based on advertising and markets
>   advertising creates. Only government contractor types would pretend that
>   "the customer" simply dictates and industry magically produces.

>The point being that if you went to the board of a company and presented
>a project to fund, but the only defense of that product was something 
>along the lines of "Ada is the best technology and it is up to us to 
>create an Ada market to do business in", you'd be laughed out of the 
>meeting before the first slide.  

And how do you know? Did you try it? The entire history of the computer
industry is filled with examples of new technologies for which markets
were created.

>   I'd like to know where you got the idea I was looking for free handouts
>   to universities. Did I ever say that?
>
>Yes, abosolutely!  You say this in nearly every post I read.

Hogwash.

>I'm wondering why you don't just make it part of you .signature :-)
>
>Here's a snippet you just wrote a couple of articles ago....

>   >Mow about an Ada compiler that glows in the dark and comes with
>   >a free pet rock?

>   ...only if it's free to universities. :-) :-) :-)

Obviously you missed the three smileys. I was poking fun at guys like
you who persist in misunderstanding and misquoting. If you are going
to caricature me, I might as well play along.

That's amazing, folks! He thought I _meant_ it. :-)

Mike Feldman
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael B. Feldman -  chair, SIGAda Education Working Group
Professor, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The George Washington University -  Washington, DC 20052 USA
202-994-5919 (voice) - 202-994-0227 (fax) - mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Internet)
NOTE NEW PHONE NUMBER.
"Pork is all that stuff the government gives the other guys."
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